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Arc trials tomorrow…
Prix Niel – New Bay vs Erupt
Prix Vermeille – Treve vs Arabian Queen
Prix Foy – Postponed vs DolniyaIn my opinion, they look a little more intriguing than usual. In fact, the entire card looks bloody marvellous!
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
Those clowns in the ATR studio should stick to giving their ‘expert’ opinions and leave the (attempted) comedy to the professionals.
‘The best horse has clearly won’…Taking into consideration the momentum Free Eagle was building when nearly bowled over by the eventual winner, the proximity at the finish and, if you like, the 7lb WFA, I would argue that the best horse has finished third. A very unsatisfactory race and for John Gosden to remark ‘We knew Found was our biggest danger’ was slightly ignorant given the fact that she was lucky to finish second.
Golden Horn is clearly a very good colt, but not exceptional. Good ground at Longchamp and you will see history being made…
Viva La Treve!!
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
…..I know this is aftertiming [sorry] but I did back Litigant in the end, having been so keen on him at a price and with the trainer doing so well at the moment.
Nonsense, Moe. You called it before the race, and no apology is necessary :) Great shout!!
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
An outsider worth considering is John Reel. He produced solid, consistent efforts on the AW over the winter, which catapulted his handicap mark to 100 before his turf debut on the level this season. His form figures aren’t inspiring, but he has contested some hot races, ranging from twelve furlongs (Old Newton Cup) to the Chester Cup marathon of two miles-two. His average defeat in four turf starts is a mere five and a half lengths, and the capable Tom Marquand will take a much appreciated 5lb off his back.
Ajman Bridge deserves to land a decent prize after a string of quality efforts in some of the most recognisable handicaps in the calendar. He appeared to relish the step up in trip last time and is sure to run his race once again.
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
^^I backed two selections antepost, Steve. Profitable @40s and…Waady @14s!!
I was astonished to see that he had been taken out. Unbeaten over five furlongs, a winner on both fast and soft ground, progressing, form working out…he looked the type to be well supported on the day and an ideal antepost wager.
The best laid plans of mice and men…
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
^^Nice of Tome Segal to take my advice…although he’s a little late catching on
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
One of the beaten horses that stuck out like a sore thumb in the Commonwealth Cup was Profitable. He travelled better than anything and was right in the thick of it at the furlong marker that day, only to weaken inside the final furlong. This strong travelling sort appears best suited by a frantic pace over the minimum distance and he could hit the frame at a big price tomorrow.
Clive Cox thinks a lot of him, and he certainly has a big race in him at some stage.
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
There were plenty of talking points before this race and, as expected, many to emerge from it.
On the subject of the winner and valid excuses for the second, I think Arabian Queen was a deserved winner on the day and a combination of the formbook and the obvious potential for improvement are reason to believe she can build on this success.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but she had previously mixed it with some very talented fillies this year – Ervedya, Legatissimo and Amazing Maria – and there were no formlines to categorically prove that the 3YO colts were superior to their female counterparts. She certainly boasts a middle distance pedigree, and it’s quite astonishing that she had the speed to compete – and defeat – some pretty useful types as a juvenile over sprint distances. This serves as proof that she is, indeed, a talented filly.
Golden Horn is almost certainly a better colt on better ground. The proximity of The Grey Gatsby at Sandown and York, respectively, are quite interesting. Golden Horn maintained his three lengths superiority over Kevin Ryan’s inmate yesterday, which brings into question the ground-related excuse. The formbook suggests that The Grey Gatsby is reliant on fast ground to a similar extent, and he would have been equally as inconvenienced by the conditions. This possibly explains the reproduction of the Eclipse form to a mere quarter of a length.
From a tactical perspective, I can’t fathom why, in a race with no obvious pace, connections decided not to persevere with the tactics that were so effective at Sandown. Golden Horn was uber-impressive making all that day and I’m confident that yesterdays result could have been different if they had decided to let him stride on or maintain closer order to the pace.
There should be plenty of praise for The Grey Gatsby. He is undoubtedly the most reliable top level yardstick in Europe. He has been competing with very good horses since his 2YO campaign, and is defined by incredible consistency, competing against a plethora of superstars – Australia, Solow, Golden Horn – and this Dante, French Derby and Irish Champion Stakes winner is a credit to connections. To those of you who enjoy rating performances, look no further than basing them on the respective performance of this chap because he always runs his race.
As for Time Test, I was in the camp before the contest that failed to believe how a proven Group 1 performer like The Grey Gatsby could be available at 9-1, while a colt climbing the ladder could be trading at 9-2. Many shrewd experts were of the opinion that Roger Charlton’s improving 3YO would handle the steep rise in class. They were right. He, too, would clearly prefer faster conditions and made up plenty of ground from the rear, which could prove difficult this week. He looked like a rookie who would benefit from the experience of competing at such an exalted level and will be more street-wise in the future.
On a separate note, it was touted after the race that Time Test could drop back to mile. Time Test’s dam, Passage Of Time, is a full sister to both Father Time and Continuum, which suggests that he could be well worth a try over twelve furlongs. He has finished strongly on all three attempts at ten furlongs and a race like the Breeders’ Cup Turf – fast ground, sharp track – could certainly play to his strengths.
Ground will dictate where the field go from here. Despite their reservations, fast ground is more likely in America than Europe at this stage of the campaign, and connections of Golden Horn could very well be tempted by the Breeders’ Cup. If soft ground persists and Keeneland is not on the agenda, that was possibly the last time Golden Horn set hoof on a racecourse.
This guy is a machine. All he does is work out and pick winners. Talk about fit. You should see him without his shirt off, serious side of beef.
